1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an improved data processing system. More specifically, the present invention is directed to an optical transceiver module that utilizes a transparent carrier and one or more integrated circuits, which are attached to both the transparent carrier and a package.
2. Description of the Related Art
Today, separate 12-channel parallel optical transmitter and receiver modules are available that operate at up to five gigabits per second (Gb/s) per channel. These optical modules are based on one-dimensional (1×12) arrays of photodiodes and vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs), which are typically manufactured on gallium arsenide (GaAs) or indium phosphoride (InP) substrates. Current packaging technology consists of mounting optoelectronic (OE) arrays and analog amplifier integrated circuits (ICs) in close proximity and then establishing an electrical contact between the OEs and ICs with wire bonds.
However, this current packaging approach limits both the density and the speed of these optical modules. The density of these modules is limited because of the requirements for relatively large wire bond pads and because these modules are typically incorporated only on the perimeter of the chip. Further, the speed of these modules is adversely impacted by electrical parasitics associated with the wire bond connections.
In addition, wire bonding makes packaging two-dimensional (2-D) arrays problematic by precluding the possibility of producing optical transmitters and receivers with a large number of parallel channels, such as, for example, greater than 24. Applications that require high communication bandwidth, such as data buses within computer systems or switches/routers used for telecommunications, require optical modules with a large number of transmitter and receiver channels that are each capable of operating at speeds in excess of ten Gb/s.
Moreover, GaAs and InP substrates, which are typically used as the starting material for producing photodiodes and VCSELs, are not transparent to a wavelength at substantially 850 nanometers (nm). This 850 nm wavelength, which is an industry standard, is technologically important because low-cost GaAs-based devices may be used for the lasers and detectors. For this reason, 850 nm wavelength optical data links are commonly utilized by many institutions, agencies, organizations, enterprises, and premises wiring applications that support networks, such as, for example, local area networks (LANs) or storage area networks (SANs).
Therefore, it would be beneficial to have an improved optical transceiver module that is compact, scalable, and compatible with operation of VCSELs and photodiodes at a wavelength of 850 nm.